Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1887-12-07

oRk000x0 - W. = Vv0K , n0O INV OOkWS
pleted facade. Growth and entsrpriss
are marks Of our time even IN old
Rome, stimulated, NO doubt by the
constant stream Of tourists, but en-
couraged also by the wise policy Of
King Umberto, who loves his people
and 10 idolized by them.-Alb0nv Ar
gus.
Hen Talk.
Al an example Of bird language, the
ordinary domestic fowl presents the
most interesting and perfect range, so
common that it ID rarely considered or
reflected upon; not . few viii be as
tonished ct the vocal possibilities Of the
hen if they will give the subject = little
investigation.
knowing that the hen has Z voice, we
assume that its Office 10 to AFFORD COM
m~unication between individuals Half
an hour in . farmyard win beyond
question demonstrate this, and that
certain sounds are the equivalents Of
words. The crow of o cock in assuredly
. challenge, the moment another bird
is noticed, and is kept up, either in ad-
rance o. retreat. II is sounded in the
morning in answer to others, and is
comparable to the challenge er war cry
of many savage tribes. or even the
answering shouts OF college boys or
men, shat are unexplainable on other
grounds than q challenge of merits.
Observing closely our roostsr, ac-
companied by his family. we ndltNtlat
the hens pay no attention to ttl9 ACylhl-
lenge but let him find some delcacy,
he utters a succession Of short rotes,
"Tuck, tuck, tuck, tuck" upon which
the others rush about him, eager to
share. Again ii hawk flies overhead,
the cock, guardian of the flock, misses
his head and utters a prolonged mott, as
different from the former as possible:
"Ka-r-r-r-e," he seems to say, which
translated into English means, look
out for the hawk! runl" and inme-
diately hens and chickens duck heir
heads and rush for cover. Now let Q
dog dart at the head Of this family, and
listen to the clucks and other sounds
coming fast and furious-protess in
every information.
The hen cannot crow, but she has in
other respects as perfect control oflan-
guage as her master. Indeed, she can
sing; purely . self-congratulatory per-
Torrance expressive Of deep conent-
ment and complete satisfaction, heard
when hens are let out and they am run
ming for food, and upon warm days in
spring il is a "kerr, kerr, kerr, differ
ing in it, modulation and information in
individuals. How different is THU from
the sharp "cluck, cluck" of the mother
hen. The latter il a general warning
to everybody, and plainly says, II
have . young family and must be let
alone" II q grain is found how sud-
denly that is changed to the quick call,
tuck, tuck, tuck!" upon heming
which the little ones come rushing oell-
NELL; and they understand it the mo-
ment they leave the shell. Indeed,
the different notes or "baby talk" of .
hen are of great variety. @No one
would think of saying that the cutcut-
ca-da-cut' was q call. IT says as plain
as words can tell, II have laid an egg,"
and the bright little egg-hunter who
hears immediately starts for the hay
loft, as q favorite hound of mine vas In
q habit Of doing. She understood hen
language, and fed upon freshly laid
eggs some time before I discovered
that she was such a linguist. TIs mo.
ment "cut-cut-ca-da-cut" was heard she
trotted into the hen-coop.
When the little chicks are Hstled
under the mother another sound is
heard, Q prolonged hoarse "c-r-a-Mz-z-e,
c-r-a-w-z-z-e," which / copy Rom a
happy mother in my possession, with
out the aid of q monograph. Eter Q
chickeu-coop at night, and q soft Whist
ling noise is made, q gentle chirping by
the birds, sounding something like
"w-h-o-i-e," rapidly repeated, that
speaks plainly Of apprehension. If q
chicken is seized by the leg the
"c-r-a-i-a-i-o-u, c-r-a-i-a-i-o-u" that fol-
lows could never be constructed into
anything but . wall of anguish. So if
we commence q dictionary of the do
nestle fowl-language we might lave
the following as q basis:
Ur-ka-do-dle-do-o-o. Challenge Of
male
Tuck, tuck, tuck. Food call of finale.
K-a-r-r-e. Announcing presence of
hawk.
Cut-cut-ca-da-cut. Announcement of
egg-laying.
Chuck, cluck, cluck. Call of young.
Kerr, kerr, kerr. Song of content
ment of hen.
C-r-a-w-z-z-e. Quieting yong
chicks.
W-h-o-o-i-e (whistle). Expressin of
apprehension at night
C-r-a-i-a-i-o-u. Terror and protest
of capture.
These sounds Of course vary in indi-
viduals; that is in the information, as,
like persons, no two birds can utter the
same vocal sounds &C r. HoldN, in
Vide Quake.